30 Nov 2020

Epilepsy deaths: GPs not aware of brand switches

From Checkpoint, 5:31 pm on 30 November 2020

Two GPs caring for patients who died after switching brands of an epilepsy drug say they were not aware of the Pharmac brand switch when they prescribed the drug for their patients.

The GPs were giving evidence at an inquest which opened today into the role the Pharmac brand switch had on the deaths of six people, who died after changing brands of an anti-epileptic drug called lamotrigine.

Investigative Journalist Guyon Espiner broke this story 18 months ago and was at the inquest today.